Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (Arabic: جابر مبارك الحمد الصباح‎, born 5 January 1942)[1] is a Kuwaiti politician and the Prime Minister of Kuwait since 2011. Previously he served as Minister of Defense as well as Deputy Prime Minister.

Sheikh Jaber began his career an advisor at the administrative affairs department in the Amiri Diwan in 1968 and served there until 1971. Then, he served as director of the administrative affairs department in the Diwan until 1975. He went on to become assistant undersecretary of administrative and financial affairs at the Diwan until 1979.

In that year, he became a governor, serving from 1979 to 1985 at Hawally and from 1985 to 1986 at Ahmedy. He was Minister of Social and Labor Affairs from 1986 to 1988 and Minister of Information from 1988 to 1990.

In 2004, Sheikh Jaber became Chairman of the Supreme Council of Environment. In 2006, he was appointed as First Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Ministers of Interior and Minister of Defense. The following year, he was named First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. In 2010, Sheikh Jaber became Chairman of the Supreme Council for the Disabled.

Sabah was appointed as Prime Minister on 4 December 2011. A year later, on 5 December 2012, he was reappointed as Prime Minister following the parliamentary election held on 1 December 2012.[2]

In January 2014 it was announced that he had reshuffled his five-month-old cabinet, replacing seven members, including the oil and finance ministers, and raising the number of Islamists to four. The reshuffle came two weeks after all the ministers submitted their resignations to Sabah after several cabinet members, including the prime minister himself, were questioned by MPs. Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah accepted the resignation of seven of the 15 ministers and decreed the appointment of new ministers. The modified cabinet included a new oil minister, Ali Al Omair, a lawmaker who was a senior member of the Islamist Salaf Alliance. He replaced Mustafa Al Shamali.[3]

In 2007, King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa awarded Sheikh Jaber the "Medal of King Issa First Class," following his visit to Bahrain where he took part in the Middle East Forum on Internal and World Security.

In 2009, he became the first Arab to be awarded Japan's highest honor conferred on foreigners, Order of the Rising Sun, Grand Cordon.[5] The Imperial Decoration of "Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun" was bestowed by Japan's Emperor Akihito at a ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The distinction was awarded in recognition of Sheikh Jaber's contributions to promoting mutual understanding as well as political, diplomatic, and environmental ties between Kuwait and Japan.